Thursday, January 29, 2009

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Fortune cookies have been on my mind this week. Since I've never made homemade fortune cookies, I thought this tuile recipe would be perfect, and it was. I used Le Cordon Bleu brown cane sugar with vanilla instead of the vanilla sugar called for in the recipe. This sugar contains crushed vanilla beans which show as black flecks in the cookie.

To form fortune cookies, place the paper fortune on top of cookie, fold the hot cookie in half, forming a semi-circle, and press the edges together gently. Then quickly fold the semi-circle over the edge of a small bowl to create the fortune cookie shape.

As well, the Daring Baker hosts asked us to make something "light" to go with our tuiles. I couldn't resist serving mine with my favorite flavor of ice cream: coffee. Not very light, I know, but delicious. For Christmas, I received a "Supreme Ice Cream Maker" that I think my kids have enjoyed more than me since we've made Smartie, Kit Kat, and Rolo ice cream several times. But I have squeezed in time to make Bailey's, vanilla and this coffee ice cream since it's so easy to use (just a bit on the noisy side).

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (low speed), cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it.)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as a butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread the batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180˚C or 350˚F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape and bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. Or: place a baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones, etc.

Oh! my... Shari, you went through a lot of trouble!For making fortune cookies myself last monday, I know for a fact the difference between both doughs was quite obvious... and the one for the tuiles I thought would have been way harder to make into fortune cookies! The other one I was far more elastic and maleable, easier to work with for such folds as fortune cookies!Mannnn... you are patient and soooo, soooo courageous!